1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to mobility management, and, more particularly, to dynamically relocating network gateways in Connectivity Service Network anchored mobility management.
2. Description of the Related Art
IEEE standard 802.16 defines the wireless MAN™ air interface specification for wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). The standard heralds the entry of broadband wireless access as a major new tool in the effort to link homes and businesses to core telecommunications networks worldwide. The WiMAX Forum further proposed the WiMAX Forum Network Architecture compatible with IEEE 802.16. Since the IEEE 802.16 series is designed for wider coverage and broader bandwidth, it is viewed as one of the leading standards in 4th generation communication systems.
The network structures of the WiMAX Forum Network Architecture are framed by Access Service Networks (ASNs) and Connectivity Service Networks (CSNs). The Access Service Network (ASN) provides wireless radio access to WiMAX subscribers. It consists of one or more ASN Gateways (ASN GWs) and Base Stations (BSs). ASNs are connected by CSN, which provides Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity services.
ASN anchored mobility management and CSN anchored mobility management are both defined in the WiMAX Forum Network Architecture. ASN anchored mobility management refers to procedures associated with the Mobile Station (MS) movement between BSs and ASNs without changing a reference point. CSN anchored mobility management is based on Mobile IP (MIP) for constructing new connections between CSN and a new ASN GW.
FIG. 1 shows the roaming and handover under ASN anchored mobility management and CSN anchored mobility management. In connection (1), MS establishes a connection with BS A, a connection between BS A and ASN GW A, and a connection between ASN GW and Home Agent (HA) which is located in home CSN. If the MS moves along route (2), a new connection (3) is established between the MS, BS B, ASN GW B, ASN A, and HA. In this situation, ASN GW A is called the anchored ASN GW, and ASN GW B is called the severing ASN GW. Handover latency could be reduced in this way but the end-to-end delay may be longer, and the load of ASN GW A may become heavy if there are too many MSs anchored with ASN GW A.
In some conditions, the system performs ASN GW relocation for requesting MS performing CSN mobility management. Thus, connection (4) is established between MS, BS B, ASN GW B and HA. However, the WiMAX Forum Network Architecture standards do not specify when to carry out the ASN GW relocation. Since the traffic management of gateways is a key factor of network efficiency, introduction of appropriate relocation methods is highly anticipated.